The Maintenance Episode: Fear. Control. Identity. Real Results

Don't you just feel EXHAUSTED with all the diets?

chasing fat loss, only to fear every bite, every curve, every scale change? In this episode, Ruby & Tom rip apart everything you’ve been told about maintaining results—why diet breaks are not failures but essential, how maintenance isn’t “putting goals on hold,” and why your fear of gaining weight might be the real thing holding you back.

We dive deep into:

• what maintenance phases actually are (and why 4 weeks is usually not enough)

• how diet fatigue sabotages progress—women eating “little” yet seeing no change, losing energy, self-belief, faith

• the identity trap: when being “lean” becomes your value, your validation, your identity—and how that makes maintenance feel terrifying

• true metrics that matter: moving from scale + appearance to strength, performance, energy, confidence, mood

• practical ways to transition into maintenance without rebound, shame, fear, or extremes

For women navigating nutrition, hormones, mindset, and fat loss—this is your chance to reframe what success looks like. Let’s stop glamorizing deficits and start building something sustainable. Let’s reclaim food, movement, rest, and freedom.

If you’ve ever asked: “What if I’m always going to be chasing lean?” “Is the fear of gaining weight ever going to go away?” or “How do I rebuild trust with my body post-diet?” … this is for you.

What you’ll leave with:

• clarity on why maintenance is life, not a “waiting room”

• mindset tools to shift from control → pleasure in your food + movement

• game-plan steps to ease into maintenance safely and confidently

• practical direction: performance goals, not punishments

Keywords you’ll hear: diet break, fat loss resistance, women’s fitness, body image, maintenance phase, control vs freedom, strength training, mindset shift, nutrition for women, long-term results